Now What?

Now What?

The rest, as they say, is history. In the aftermath of a stunning election upset, Donald Trump and Mike Pence will lead America, starting on Friday, January 20, 2017. One of the main reasons the Trump/Pence victory was so shocking is because many within the mainstream media kept talking about the Clinton/Kane lead, the polls that showed Trump/Pence behind, and how the electoral map heavily favored the Democrat ticket. So much for the experts. Now, the hard work of uniting a divided nation begins.

But how is unity possible, let alone imaginable, after such a stunning upset, where two vastly different visions for America were cast – with Hillary Clinton edging out Mr. Trump in the popular vote?[1] Here are a few suggestions I’d like to toss out in what was one of the most bizarre, hard-fought, contentious elections in United States history:

1. It’s time for everyone in America to take a good, long look at themselves. Now that the smoke has cleared, I think it’s not too unreasonable to suggest that this election season was a referendum on American pop culture, where the pursuit of pleasure seems to have gotten the best – and brought out the worst – in each of us.

If we are upset with the candidates we were given, we have no one to blame but ourselves. If we want to have better choices, we need to be more intentional about encouraging moral, ethical, selfless people to pick up the mantle of leadership. We need to mind our own choices when no one is looking, because eventually the chickens end up coming home to roost.

2. It’s time to stop viewing public service as something for the elite. The best public servants know what it means to serve – not for self-seeking purposes, but for the betterment of others. What about you? Why can’t God use YOU to lead others in noble, ethical, humbly courageous ways – for such a time as this? Start small, and see what God might do through you.

We don’t just need people in leadership positions. We need selfless leaders who will have God’s Kingdom agenda in heart and mind – men and women who will put their own interests aside for eternally significant objectives. If not now, then when? If not you, then who? Stop waiting for someone else to do what God has called you to do. You, not someone else, are the agent of change our nation so seriously needs.

3. It’s time for people in the Church, the body of Christ, to arise – on our knees. Our nation is now at such a place of deep need that it will take a series of miracles to turn around. If we’re going to get a divine bail-out, it won’t happen without human hunger for supernatural intervention. It’s time that our hunger for real, mighty movements of God across America reaches a critical mass to lead us to the point of doing what we have not yet really begun to do across the nation: depend upon God like our future depends upon it. It does, now, more than ever.

The church is God’s “Plan A” for transformation. Our moral malaise and racial divide are things that are best addressed by an army of surrendered servants, men and women who have rediscovered the biblical call to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1,2). All people are equal at the foot of the cross. It’s time we, within the church, show the world that we really believe it.

4. We need a Second Reformation, a new Great Awakening in America, on an unprecedented scale. Only this will stem the tide of decline that abounds all around us. This new Reformation and Awakening must be characterized by a rediscovery of moral absolutes and humble courage among God’s people, where we are not at all concerned with the opinions of mere mortals, but with the will and agenda of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We need a sweeping movement of humility across America, one where we rediscover and become convinced once again – with genuine humility – that God’s truths apply to everyone, beginning with ourselves.

I fear that many of us Christians have been trying to get others to follow a Jesus we haven’t been following very closely at all. Our hypocrisy, even if unintentional, must stop. Immediately, and on a massive scale.

Our nation and world are desperate for real, authentic, biblical Christianity where regular, ordinary people end up doing irregular, extraordinary things.

America will be great again, and we’ll all be stronger together, when you and I return to God with the humble ferocity we see modeled by real believers in the pages of Scripture. We’ve been trying everything else, and we’ve seen where that gets us. Lord help us, literally, if we don’t heed the call at this vital time of history to seek and serve God with all we’ve got. Most likely, we won’t get a second chance this late in the game to try again.

What about you? Are you ready for the real hope and change that only the Spirit of God can bring? It’s time.

I am ready for the real hope and change that only the Holy Spirit can bring in my own life and our nation. I pray God will help me and His children to shine His love to those around us.

Stephanie Mundorf

11/9/16 I have volunteered in the last 8 years doing my civic duty as majority leader at poll and republican committee person for my boro. Ran for tax collector and won now I have a full and part time job yeah….. About 13 years of volunteer church "blessings" not duties at all. This morning on my knees praying to my Father thank you for the reprieve for our country and please give wisdom to all our leaders. I call it a reprieve because I can’t believe God can give blessings to a country that allows it’s/His babies to be killed. I totally agree and I hope our Christian friends decide to get involved and bring morals and values to some of these positions. If not us who? You see our elected officials – that’s who.

Mike Klunk

Praise God for the opportunity of being able to worship and serve himin this great country that he has blessed us with. He is such a gracious and loving God. I hope this election was enough to wake up the Christians who say we believe in Jesus Christ and we start sharing our faith and who we believe in with others. It is through the love of Jesus Christ that we extend love to those around us. To those who do not believe in Jesus we do not judge we except you as you are. Remember we are all sinners saved by the grace of God. Thank you God for Blessing the USA! Thank you to all who serve to protect our freedom.

Bernadine Reid

Yes because God is in control and I welcome what He has for us here in America. I am ready for God to do the new thing that He promised to do way back in the latter 80’s. A Prophet of God Dick Mills wrote a small book called "Welcome to the World of Change " My pastor, Dr. Ernest Leonard introduced this book to our congregation then and we had no idea then how God would accomplish the change in us that would i.pa t us in the days and years to come. We as people don’t embrace change as readily as we should. But one thing I have learned is God is faithful and He is Proven and trustworthy. So I’m keeping my eyes on Him and not man. Prayer and repentance is my lifestyle am I perfect no but He is.I’m just saying…

SJ Wells

SJ WellsThe surprise of the election, which I feel, was a God has answered the prayers of his elect. The most important of all thing that I believe, God raises up whom He will, chooses who will be the leader. God is definitely at the helm. I take this as a time to take a breath and understand that the harvest is great and God has given us a little more time to do the work He wants us to do. I believe we must pray as hard as we can and spread the gospel. We have been given this opportunity and we must use it. As a body, the body of Christ, our behavior needs to be as Christ like as possible. Th Bible needs to be the first thing we look at in the morning, consuming the word, absorbing all we can, walking and talking with God. The Holy Spirit, the One Christ left to comfort and help us in this world. Through much prayer and listening to the Comforter we may be able to plant the seed the God will grow and add some more to the Body so that when Christ comes to take us out of here we know we did the work He desired us to do. If there is anyone who does not believe God can raise up those that will rule over us,this last election should make a believer out of them.